Mark Kasten State Farm

Many of the crops and products lean into Miranda’s personal heritage. She’s an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. The Three Affiliated Tribes are located at the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. She was born there and then later was adopted by a family who ranched in the Badlands of North Dakota. The family moved to the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota where they purchased a different ranch.

“I was my dad’s right hand man for a few years through high school. So I can run pretty much any piece of equipment you throw at me,” she said. After high school, she attended Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, studying graphic communications, which has helped her with marketing their store and online sales.

After she and Alex connected in 2006, the winding career trail began. Alex said, “I was a city boy. But I started gardening our first year living together. I had no idea what I was doing. We had a tiny yard and the whole thing ended up being vines – cucumbers, watermelons, pumpkins. They were climbing up the fence into the trees. And I told her ‘This is awesome. I think I want to be a farmer.’” A couple years later they moved to a home with an acre lot and started selling produce at farmers markets.

Ten years ago, they purchased an acreage west of Viborg with the intent of establishing a fruit tree orchard, growing herbs, and pasturing sheep and goats. They lived on the farmstead for several years, but their other careers – which paid the bills while trying to establish the farm-retail enterprise – were in Sioux Falls or Brandon. The commute became too much and they moved back to Sioux Falls, giving up on grazing the goats and sheep, but continuing to develop the plant crops. Along the way, Miranda was a professional tattoo artist and a certified nursing assistant; and Alex worked construction, HVAC, overnight warehouse, and even operated a food truck.

Miranda makes all the soap sold at Sweetgrass Soapery. Ingredients are from local sources, including their own farm near Viborg.

SACRED HERBS

Mark Kasten, Agent 180 N Main Ave Parker, SD 57053 Bus: 605-297-4747 mark@markkasten.com 180 N Main Ave. Parker, SD 57053 Bus: 605-297-4747

368 N Main St. Freeman, SD 57029 Bus: 605-925-7353

mark@markkasten.com

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Included in the crops at Sweetgrass Farm are sweetgrass, sage, cedar and tobacco – the four sacred herbs of the region’s Native American culture. 205 10th St, Rock Valley 712-476-5419

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